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Interest In Antibacterial Products Rises Sharply
A severe 2012-2013 flu season appears to have markedly increased interest in antibacterial promotional items, a recent trend reflected in ASI product search data. Last month, there were 63,000 searches for antibacterial products on ESP, a year-over year increase of 42%. In 2012, ESP searches for hand sanitizer increased 8.9% over 2011.

"We've seen an uptick in sanitizer purchases this year," said Brandon Mackay, president of SnugZ USA (asi/88060), "and actually we've seen growth every year since the addition of this product to our line in 2005. USA-made has been the key for us."

While suppliers are seeing greater sales of antibacterial items, distributors are making special pitches to clients to take advantage of end-buyer demand. Counselor Top 40 distributor National Pen (asi/281040) launched a promotional campaign late last week, linking hand sanitizer to wellness. "Hand sanitizer is a great option because Americans are becoming more conscious about health every year," said Gregg Kornfeld, senior vice president of merchandising at National Pen. "Businesses can put their full color message or logo on a convenient container that customers will want to keep with them year-round. It's a win-win."

This year's flu season has been especially harsh in the U.S., with senior citizens hospitalized because of influenza at the highest rate since 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). While the flu vaccine is about 62% effective at preventing influenza, CDC officials recommend frequent hand washing or using hand sanitizer to prevent the spread of germs.

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Wholesale Revenues Spur American Apparel Gains
Powered by sales in the advertising specialty industry, Counselor Top 40 supplier American Apparel's (asi/35297) wholesale net sales increased 14% in January, an upward surge that continued the trend of revenue gains the supplier experienced in 2012. "The imprintable wholesale division of the company is experiencing positive momentum as a result of improved conditions in the ad specialty arena," said Dov Charney, Chairman and CEO of the Los Angeles-based clothier.

Overall, American Apparel reported that its total net sales for January topped $46.4 million, an 11% increase. The rise included a 24% increase in online sales. "We believe the online segment will grow significantly," said Charney, who was also excited by the 7% uptick in brick-and-mortar store sales. "Our most profitable stores are in Tokyo, Beijing, London, Sydney and New York. We see an opportunity to open stores all over the world."

In 2012, American Apparel's total sales shot up 13% to $616.7 million, a rise that included a 12% gain in wholesale business. "Seeing our momentum carry into 2013 gives us confidence that this will be a strong sales year," said John Luttrell, executive vice president and chief financial officer. "Even without relying on additional store openings, our sales could increase by 6% or greater this year."

With reported 2011 North American advertising specialty sales of more than $90 million, American Apparel is the 16th largest supplier in the industry, according to Counselor. With its 12% gain in its wholesale business in 2012, Counselor expects the company's industry sales to have topped $100 million in 2012.

ASI Dallas Video Recap
Couldn't make it to Dallas last week for The ASI Show? Don't worry, Counselor's cameras captured the whole scene. We interviewed VIPs, gained advice from speakers at the show, spoke with attendees, and even checked in with Emmitt Smith, the former Dallas Cowboys great and keynote speaker at the show. Check out our full video coverage here.

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The Joe Show: New Products With Mass AppealIn this episode of The Joe Show, Managing Editor Joe Haley shows off some new products perfect for a variety of promotions. Looking for some items that would appeal to upcoming warm-weather promotions? How about a desk accessory targeted to incentive programs? Check out the video for creative applications for six useful items.

Russell Athletic Carried By Multiple Suppliers
Contrary to a report in CounselorPromoGram last month, apparel brand Russell Athletic is currently carried by multiple suppliers in the ad specialty market and will continue to be offered on a non-exclusive basis. In a joint press release, Russell Athletic and Top 40 supplier Broder Bros. (asi/42090) had announced in January that Broder would be the exclusive provider of Russell items in the industry.

Counselor has learned, though, that suppliers Team Mates Inc. (asi/90674) and Hanco (asi/59490), to name two, continue to carry Russell apparel items. "We opened a standing account with Russell years ago, and we're authorized to sell the brand's whole warehouse catalog to ASI distributors," Mike Little, president of Team Mates, told Counselor. "We have no restrictions on the Russell goods we can sell to this market. We've bought and sold millions of dollars worth of Russell items, and we'll continue to do that in the future."

Russell now says that it intended the Broder deal to be an exclusive for blank goods among larger suppliers. "Broder Bros. is our exclusive national distributor of blank goods among the traditional national blank apparel wholesalers serving the ad specialty market," Russell said in a statement to Counselor this morning. "There are a few smaller suppliers who predate the Broder arrangement. We have sold [to] these other suppliers with the understanding that they primarily sell Russell Athletic products fully decorated to end consumers."

Counselor's How-To Minute: Survey Your Customers
In a video report, Counselor presents a business strategy video each week that focuses on how distributor firms can overcome a specific challenge, make a key decision or rise to the occasion on an opportunity in front of them. In this episode: How to effectively survey clients.

Is it smart to survey all of your customers at once or target specific groups? What types of questions should you ask? How can you improve response rates? Check out the video for information you can use.

In a quick, minute-long video, Counselor Senior Editor Dave Vagnoni walks viewers through three simple steps they can take to get the most out of customer surveys. Click here to watch.

ASI Radio: Should Distributors Charge For Ideas?
On today’s Tuesday Morning Show, the hosts took questions from callers who were looking for advice on whether they should charge clients for the ideas they provide. Plus, we shared our Favorite Things, discussed ways to immediately boost performance, and debated how to neutralize a meeting loudmouth.

If you missed the show, a recording is now available at www.asicentral.com/radio. And, don’t forget to join us for our next broadcast – Tuesday, February 19. Log on at 10:30 a.m. ET to listen to the show – and give us a call at (215) 953-4979 to hear your voice on the air.

Call For Entries: Fastest-Growing Companies
Has your company been experiencing incredible growth over the past few years? We'd like to hear from you. Please click here to nominate your company for Counselor's annual recognition of the Top 10 Fastest Growing Companies in the industry.

Both suppliers and distributors are eligible to enter. Any questions about the Fastest-Growing Companies program? E-mail Karen Akers, awards editor, at kakers@asicentral.com.

Suppliers: Nominate Now For Product Design AwardsCounselor magazine is looking for innovative products for its Product Design Awards competition. Suppliers are invited to nominate their favorite eye-catching products in the following categories:

In order to enter, please submit the following: A sample of the product. (We recommend that the product be exclusive to the supplier that is submitting it, although this is not a requirement.); a brief description of the product, including any special features; and the category that the product should be considered for.

There is a limit of one submission per category, per company. Please note that only products from North American suppliers will be considered and that submissions will not be returned unless specifically requested. Items that were entered in previous Counselor Product Design Awards competitions will not be considered. Please send all entries to: Karen Akers, Awards Editor, Counselor Magazine, 4800 Street Road, Trevose, PA 19053.

Questions? E-mail Karen Akers at kakers@asicentral.com. All submissions will be judged on the following areas: design appeal, functionality and the ability to attractively feature a logo (when appropriate). All samples must be received by Friday, February 15.

In The News
Imprintables Warehouse (asi/58475) offers a new educational video, as part of its Training Time Out video series, on creating an iPhone cover using CorelDRAW and a printer/cutter. Watch a demonstration of the process at http://myversacamm.com/video/custom-iphone-case-setup.

Jubilee Brands (asi/63625) announced that it has added Four Color Fans to the lineup of brands that it offers. The fans are available in six shapes and two sizes, and all pricing includes four-color printing.

Prime Line (asi/79530), which is based in Bridgeport, CT, announced that it opened on Monday with limited staff due to travel issues caused by Winter Storm Nemo. As of yesterday, the company was accepting and processing orders, however, was unable to ship samples because its sample department had not opened as of yet.

Republic Company (asi/82060) announced that is running at normal operations again after a recent fire at the company.

The Book Company (asi/41010) announced that it has introduced its Jazz Collection of journals. Each of the four styles is available in a variety of colors and sizes. Visit www.thebookco.com for more information.

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THE ADVANTAGES ROADSHOW IS VISITING THE WESTCOAST THIS WEEK…
The Advantages Roadshow, the industry’s most popular traveling show, is visiting the West Coast this week and distributors are invited to attend for free. Delivering top suppliers and hot, money-making products, the Roadshow is the most cost-effective and time-efficient way to find answers to your clients’ toughest challenges.

Come on over. All distributors are invited to attend the Advantages Roadshow for free. The morning schedule features distributor education from 7:45 a.m.-9 a.m. and 1 p.m.-2 p.m. and tabletop exhibits from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.